Commentaries on the San Antonio Report present house for our neighborhood to share views and provide options to urgent native points. The views expressed on this commentary belong to the creator alone.
In some San Antonio excessive colleges, child bumps can really feel virtually as frequent as backpacks. In my graduating class alone, there have been no less than three teen mothers juggling being pregnant, diapers and highschool coursework.
On commencement day many, academics included, made feedback like, “It was a miracle she even graduated.” Regardless of the success of those younger mothers, it shouldn’t have taken a miracle to get any of them throughout the stage.
In South Texas, teen being pregnant charges are as much as 4 instances increased than the nationwide common, however this isn’t only a regional problem. Out of the 50 states, Texas has persistently ranked among the many high 10 for teenage pregnancies, with the state’s repeat teen being pregnant charges additionally monitoring excessive.
In 2020, 1 out of each 6 teenagers who had given delivery already had no less than one different little one. Out of those younger dad and mom, solely about half will end highschool, whereas a good smaller proportion will go on to pursue increased schooling. Regardless of these alarming and persistently excessive numbers, pregnant and parenting college students in Texas center and excessive colleges are sometimes neglected and stigmatized.
Such a disconnect from significant help programs limits their means to reach and graduate from highschool, with it usually leaving younger mothers to decide on between faculty or their function as a guardian. Underneath the present system, they aren’t simply unseen, however outright uncared for and underserved. What’s worse? Such protecting insurance policies do exist, simply not for them.
Title IX is a federal regulation that prohibits sex- primarily based discrimination in teaching programs and actions that obtain federal funding. As well as, Title IX additionally particularly protects pregnant and parenting college students from discrimination, guaranteeing that they’ve equal entry to schooling and extracurricular actions. The regulation additionally mandates lodging akin to excused medical absences, in-class help and personal lactation areas, that are all designed to assist pregnant and parenting college students succeed with out dealing with discrimination or denial of advantages.
In 2023, Texas expanded Title IX protections underneath the Training Code for pregnant and parenting college students in increased schooling. Underneath the brand new rules, which explicitly protects postsecondary college students, particular lodging have been outlined akin to early class registration, devoted liaisons who assist them entry help companies and the newly applied requirement of gathering knowledge on pregnant and parenting college students’ success.
Whereas these protections have been an enormous success for higher-ed college students and guaranteeing their success in class, they’re just for school college students. Not for 15-year-olds making an attempt to complete tenth grade whereas elevating a child. Not for center schoolers navigating being pregnant and puberty on the similar time. And undoubtedly not for the teenager mothers I noticed struggling to remain afloat in my highschool.
Such a scarcity of help and dismal of younger dad and mom leaves a major hole in help for younger dad and mom within the Okay-12 system, making it more durable for college kids to succeed.
There’s a hole in Texas’ present schooling system and a deficit in offered help. Center and highschool aged dad and mom usually stay at house, don’t drive, and depend on faculty as their solely entry to sources. The present system in place usually pushes younger dad and mom out of college attributable to a scarcity of help and wraparound companies. Younger scholar dad and mom want the help that they aren’t at present being afforded. Texas wants to increase the identical Title IX protections given to school college students to these in center and highschool. Which means:
Precedence class registration, to allow them to schedule faculty round childcare or different medical and rapid wants.
A chosen workers liaison at each faculty to attach younger dad and mom and their households to neighborhood sources, tutorial assist, and different obligatory help.
Required knowledge assortment, so colleges know what number of parenting college students they’ve and the way they will greatest meet their wants.
Such lodging are key to a wholesome faculty and parenting stability, in addition to guaranteeing success for parenting college students.
As a scholar who has watched my friends and fellow neighborhood members fall by means of the cracks, I’m asking Texas lawmakers and faculty directors: Don’t depart pregnant and parenting college students behind.
Lengthen the Title IX protections at present provided in increased schooling to college students in center and highschool. Give them the instruments, help, and dignity they deserve, not simply to graduate, however to thrive.
